She's MY Bullet Girl
by Crashxin2xMe
Summary: Sort of an, Alternate Ending to ONE OF OUR OWN. What happens when Horatio feels like he has nothing, Diego says he'll get everything Horatio loves, and Calleigh get's shot for comforting him? xTxHCxDramaticx


**CSI: MIAMI **

Extended Ending for "One of Our Own" but linked more closely with Marisol's death.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, get paid nothing, so don't sue and think you're going to get something.

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"I'll get you Horatio, and _everything_ you love."

A shot rang out. 'Diego' Riaz turned over the little he could. Horatio's bullet hit the pavement.

"Take him, and get him out of my sight." Horatio spat in a raspy version of his own voice.

Riaz was taken away immediately, while Erick Delko told him his rights with gritted teeth.

Horatio Caine stood, staring off into the horizon... mourning the loss of his wife, while trying to, at the same time; keep the thoughts of her at bay. It was too painful, no matter how many times he told himself that he had to let life run its course. Losing someone on the case was always hard; but having his newly wed, cancer stricken wife die the way she had, was unbearable. His heart was slowly turning to stone; cold, automatic, uncaring. Of course he'd never really stop caring, not about the victims and families he worked with anyway. However, he did stop caring about himself. In the past couple weeks his appearance grew unsightly, he knew that. He admitted to that. How could he not? Life had done this to him. He was angry: Angry at Riaz, at the Mala Noche, at God for taking his wife away, and at himself for not protecting her better. But there was one thing he was angrier about, guiltier about than anything else, it was that he was already starting to recover. He was so angry at himself for being shallow, for not grieving better, for not grieving more! But what he didn't understand was that everyone grieves differently.

He hated himself right now, almost as much as he hated Riaz. The Mala Noche took everything he had! They always did! And yet he wasn't angry at them! He was angry at himself. He felt that he should have been able to break them by now; but instead they were breaking him. He had no doubt in his mind that they would come after him again. He had no doubt that they would carry on 'Diego' Riaz's vow.

"I'll get you Horatio, and _everything_ you love."

The words echoed in his mind. Replaying over, and over again. His eyes grew fiery with anger, his hands began to clench and unclench. Clench, and unclench, clench, and unclench. He couldn't stop picturing Riaz's dirty smile as he heard the words ringing through out his entire body. His body was becoming tense and he couldn't get the thoughts to go away. They played through his mind like a horror film, like a worst nightmare.

"Lieutenant!"

He snapped out of his thoughts and brought himself to look sternly, hiding his emotions, at his blonde CSI protégée.

"Lieutenant."

He looked at her beautiful sea colored eyes, and scolded himself for it. She walked up to him and looked at him. Her eyes glanced over his features. She smiled sadly as she looked at him.

"Calleigh." he regarded.

"Hey, Handsome. You doing okay?" she asked concern filtering into her voice.

"I will be."

She bit her bottom lip and looked at him. She put her hand on his shoulder, and he let his eyes fall to the ground; though she could only tell by the lowering of his neck that he'd done this, because his beautiful eyes were encased in his thinly rimmed sunglasses. She moved her hand closer to his neck, just inside his shirt collar, and let her thumb glide along his collar bone and fall into the divot where his chest began. He looked at her with a confused expression.

"Calleigh...?"

"Yes, Handsome?"

"Why are you here? Break through? New case?"

"No." she responded plainly. "I thought you might need me. You've been through a lot today. Lately."

He searched her eyes for anything to prove she was lying, to find something to push her away for, to find something to blame her for. But he only saw one thing in her beautiful sea-green eyes surrounded by long black lashes; compassion. She tried desperately to search his eyes, but couldn't fore they were held captive behind his classic sunglasses. She reached her hands up to the edges of his shades, but he grabber her wrists and smiled. He brought his own hand up to his glasses and slid them off his face. She could now see that his eyes held rage, pain, and disappointment.

"Horatio. What's bothering you?" she asked her southern drawl adding and subtracting syllables.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"I mean, I know you lost your wife. But you're eyes, something else is bothering you. Now I want you to tell me what it is Lieutenant." she demanded sweetly.

He smiled at her, his lips cracking into a genuine smile like they hadn't done in quite sometime.

"I don't think I should ..."

"Oh quit being such a baby. Tell me! You know you can tell me anything!" she poked him at the heart. He chuckled. She could always make him laugh. Laugh like he hadn't in what seemed like forever.

"Calleigh." he started off. He began to object, but his heart; like his hand, unclenched and everything spilled out into the hands of the blonde and beautiful CSI in front of him.

"I'm terrible Calleigh."

"What?" she asked.

"I'm terrible. I'm starting to live again. I'm terrible..." he muttered.

"What? Honey, that's good! You're getting better."

"No." he started. His eyes fell to the ground, his teeth ground against each other, and his hands came up to his hips. "No Calleigh. It's too soon."

"Again, I ask, what _are_ you talking about?" the blonde now mirrored his stance with her hands on her semi-narrow hips.

"It's too soon Calleigh. I'm not supposed to be getting over her. I **loved** her. She was my _wife_! I'm not supposed to move on like this! It's been less than two weeks." his eyes began to water and his voice began to mirror his tears. He was yelling at himself. "I'm terrible. I'm as bad as anyone of them! The Mala Noche killed my wife! And I'm no better to her than they are!" tears were clouding his vision. He took in a deep breath. "I'm a terrible husband. I'm a terrible widow, but I'm a more terrible husband." He looked up at Calleigh, his eyes red with rage and tears.

"Lieutenant Horatio Caine, I did _not_ just hear you say you were a terrible husband!" she yelled at him. "You were the best husband for her, and just because you're recovering, doesn't mean you're a bad widow! You loved her! You loved her 'til her dying day!" she said, digging herself into a hole. She tried to pull herself out of the mess. "You did everything for her. You helped her live. You are the reason she lived through the cancer treatment. She lived, to come home to you. You knew that she was deteriorating. That's why the recovery is easier than expected. But that in **no way** makes you a bad husband. "Calleigh pointed out.

He looked at her with a sadness that she knew she wasn't easing.

"What's the real problem Horatio?"

"What?"

"What's the real problem?" she asked repeatedly.

"Riaz." he spat.

"Oh." was all she could say.

"He said, and I quote: I'll get you Horatio, and _everything_ you love."

"Horatio..." her voice softened as she tried to comfort him.

"Calleigh. I'm not scared for my own life; I'm scared that everyone I'm close to is going to get hurt. And I can't bear to lose anymore. Calleigh, I've lost everything. I hate to admit that. I hate to feel like I'm always going to have to worry that someday, I may come to work and my whole team's going to be dead. I hate that I have to worry that someday, I'm going to walk into ballistics and find you dead." He grabbed her wrists, his voice getting louder. He pulled her wrists to his chest. "I can't live like that. I can't risk losing one more person. I can't. Calleigh, don't you see? They've won! They've taken everyone who's loved me. All my loved ones. Don't you see? They've won! And I stood there and let them!" her hands were starting to swell from him pulling her so hard and squeezing them so tight.

"Oh...H." Calleigh finally brought one of her wrists loose from his grip and brought her hand up to his cheek. His eyes were intently staring at the floor. She brushed his cheek with her index finger. She let her nail trace his sun-kissed sideburns and let her middle finger rest just under his right ear, so that she could feel his pulse.

"They don't have everything, handsome." she brought her hand to slide down his leathery cheek. She cocked her index finger under his chin and brought his eyes to look at her. Her left hand was still being held prisoner to his tight grip against his chest. She took her right hand from under his chin and let it rest on his shoulder, under his collar, near his collar bone.

"You have me. I **promise**. You have me." she smiled.

He looked into her eyes. He continued his hard grip on her wrist with out realizing it.

"I love you. Handsome. Nothing in the world 'll change that." she cocked her head a little to watch for his expression. However, to her concern, his face stayed expressionless. She stood up on her tip toes and pressed a kiss to his temple, while her right hand was at the back and base of his neck.

Horatio loosened his grip on her arm and let his other hand slide to her waist. His eyes softened when her lips grazed his skin. After a second of bliss, he processed her words, "I love you."

"No." he growled, tightening his grip on her wrist. He moved his hand quickly from her waist to her shoulder and with more force than he intended, he shoved her away.

"_No_!" he growled again.

He then heard a deafening crack.

"Calleigh!"

Her body jolted then fell to the ground.

"Calleigh!" Horatio exclaimed running towards her small body. He slid to the ground next to her. Erick Delko, who faithfully appeared from no where, pursued the shooter with a cop following close by. Horatio scooped her body up into his arms cradling her small frame. He pulled her head into his right hand, laying her back on his knees.

"It hurts." Calleigh sobbed. The bullet missed her major organs but wedged into her lower midriff.

"I know sweetheart." he ran his fingers through her soft blonde locks. "Help's on the way."

She began to lose consciousness.

"Calleigh. You gotta stay with me, honey." her eyes shut and his voice filled with urgency and became louder. "Sweetheart, don't leave me. Ya gotta stay with me Calleigh. Please, sweetheart, stay with me." he coaxed.

Tears glistened on her silky, peach colored skin. He lifted his leather hand to gently remove the tears from her cheek. His thumb brushed the wet crystal away. As he pulled his hand away he was slightly startled when her hand came up and grabbed his. He had been sure she was out-cold. The medic's sirens sounded. Her being conscious when they came would be a miracle. The again ... he already knew she could perform miracles; because she was an angel.

The medic tame came and went. Erick and the cop caught the shooter. Part of the Mala Noche no doubt. Now all they; Erick, Ryan, Alexx and Horatio, could do would be to sit out side of the OR and pray the bullet would be safely and inconsequently removed from their beautiful, blonde, bullet girl.

A doctor removed himself from the OR and swiftly made his way to the group of CSIs that were just joined by Calleigh's father.

"This is all **your** fault!" Mr. Duquesne screamed, pointing at the red-headed CSI.

"Hey!" Alexx cut in front of Horatio before Mr. Duquesne could take a swing at him. "We don't need this right now! No one does! We're all her for the same reason; because we love our Calleigh."

The doctor from the OR, clad in green scrubs, appeared.

"Mr. Horatio Caine?"

"Yes?"

Everyone held their breath.

"We have a decision to make. The bullet's out. But when she fell, she hit her head. She has a slight bit of swelling in the brain. Nothing too, too serious; but we do have two options."

"Horatio and Mr. Duquesne nodded solemnly.

"We can wake her up and hope the swelling goes down. If it doesn't, she could be in a lot of danger. Or, we can induce a coma so that the swelling goes down and she can wake-up on her own time. That is, if she wakes up."

Both men stood, completely silent, looking at the doctor.

"Can I think about it?" Mr. Duquesne asked. The doctor in the green scrubs got a comical look on his face and spoke up.

"Actually Sir, it's not up to you."

"But I'm her father!" he argued!

"Be that as it may, Calleigh has Horatio Caine listed as her medical proxy."

Calleigh's father stormed off. Alexx, Ryan and Erick looked at Horatio in confusion.

"Did you know?" Alex prodded.

"I didn't, Alexx."

"What are you going to do?"

"Doctor!" Horatio called after a moment. The doctor from the OR turned around.

"Yes?"

"If she doesn't get put in a coma ..."

"She'll wake up on her own and we'll work from there."

"So there's a chance she'll be okay?" he asked.

"Well..." the doctor started to explain.

"So there's a _chance_?" Horatio cut off.

"Yes."

After a momentary pause, Horatio brought his icy stare up from the linoleum tile and looked at the doctor.

"Okay. Let's wake her up."

An hour after the decision was made, Horatio go the 'o.k.' to sit by her bedside in recovery. The room was small and painted a very glossy white. One wall owned a small window with a pine frame and a Smokey-grey set of curtains. The opposite wall was made of glass with shaded drawn closed, closing the from off from the hall. The white linoleum shined and the little pine side table held a single unused lamp. A matching chair with a green cushion became home to Horatio next to Calleigh; who lay on the silver cot with monitors on the right of her.

Horatio sat down next to her and pulled her pale hand into his tan one. He held her hand while looking over her face. Her face seemed relaxed, but without the smile it usually showed proudly. Her face was very pale with washed out cheeks. He looked at her eye lids, praying and willing them to open.

After a few hours of sitting by her side, Alexx came in.

"Hey, Sugar." she put her hand on Horatio's shoulder, "How's our bullet girl?"

"She's a trooper." he let go of Calleigh's hand as he stood up and moved to the head of her bed. He ran his fingers through her beautiful, slightly tangled, hair.

"Honey..." Alexx comforted. "You need to sleep. Lemme stay with her."

"No. I'm not going to leave. She was taken before my eyes. She's going to wake before my eyes too. l I won't leave her." his voice became firm as his hand rested on her forehead.

"Alright, but please; promise me you'll get some sleep."

"Alright Alexx." he looked at her with tired eyes and a sad smile. "Thank-you."

"Good night, Sugar. Call me if you need anything."

"Will do ..."

Alexx exited the room. Horatio sat back down in the chair. He eyes the blonde before him, he couldn't stop. He never could keep his eyes off of her. At around 10 p.m. a sympathetic nurse brought Horatio a cheese sandwich. He thanked the doddering older nurse graciously and accepted the food. And hour later, the sandwich still sat on the little pine table. He had no appetite. None. Instead, he held Calleigh's hand and prayed continuously. He'd never been a religious man; but he needed help from a higher power now...more than ever.

At midnight a nurse came in to check on Calleigh's vital signs. The doctor from earlier in the OR concluded from Calleigh's charts, that it seemed unlikely for the swelling to become serious. However, it had also seemed unlikely that it would take her this long to wake up.

"You really shouldn't be here, Horatio." the OR doctor admitted.

"I know." Horatio started, his body sagging slightly as he exhaled. "But I can't leave."

The doctor paused for a moment. "Where's her father?"

"Angry at me." he explained. "Long story short, if she doesn't come out of this ... I'll never forgive myself." Horatio spat at himself.

"I see." the doctor noted the way Horatio's soulful eyes creased at the edges, and noted the way they looked at her.

"I ..." Horatio began to speak, but couldn't come up for a real reason for him to stay. Not a reason a doctor would accept.

"You love her ... don't you?" The doctor asked on a personal note.

"With all my heart." he responded, his voice low and heartfelt.

"I understand." The doctor clasped his hand on Horatio's shoulder, squeezed lightly and left after adding, "Hang in there..."

By 2 a.m. Horatio was exhausted, but refused to give up. His leathered skin looked harsher than normal. His coloring was beginning to fade with worry and his shoulders were hunched in a way that was unnatural. His eyes were glossy with unshed tears. The laugh lines around his eyes were deeper and the bags under his eyes darker. And finally, his hands were cold. Horatio Caine's hands were never cold. He aged 10 years in the past 10 hours. He did all he could do. He sat by Calleigh's side loyally and waited.

By 4 a.m. he was tired of waiting. He decided to attempt to ease her back into the real world. He leaned forward in his uncomfortable chair and put his right hand at her wrist while his left hand stayed in hers.

"Calleigh." he spoke gently, with a soft flow of syllables. He pushed the breathiness of his words aside and spoke quietly, and precisely.

"Calleigh, Sweetheart; I don't know if you can hear me," he sighed, "But you've got to know I'm _here_." he squeezed her hand to emphasize the words. "Calleigh, you've done so much for me over the years. You're the best bullet girl out there. You're the brightest and the most beautiful. I've watched you burst into life at our lab. You've become so much more than the shy southern belle you were when you entered Miami-Dade." he closed his eyes; remember the first day she entered with a shy smile and a confident hand shake. The guys joked that he was hiring her for her beauty and not her credentials, but she proved them wrong. "You're _my_ bullet girl. **Mine**. And no one is going to take you from me!" His eyes grew fiery and his grip on her wrist tightened slightly. "They've taken everything from me Calleigh. All of them. My brother, and Speed, and Marisol." tears fell from his glossy eyes. "But not you Calleigh. I won't let them take you. You said you loved me ..." he brought her hand up to his cheek. "You said you love me ... and there's only one way I can protect you." He looked over her flawless skin. "I have to keep you away from me. Do you understand?! That's all I can do ... you'll be safer with out me!" he screamed at her. After a second he realized that if she did hear him, she'd never forgive him for that. "I'm sorry Calleigh." tears began to fall again. "I'm so sorry. I love you. I love you. And I'm never going to ever let anyone hurt you. Not again." he tightened his grip once more, determination in his eyes. Remembering the events of earlier in the day. "You're _my_ bullet girl. **Mine**" he whispered in the dark room, holding her hand against his neck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly he jolted. He felt something.

Like a lightning bolt, her touch scorched his skin. Her index finger rubbed back and forth slowly and gently on his neck.

"Calleigh?!" he stood up, never letting go of her hand with his left. With his right, he rand his fingers through her hair.

"Calleigh, can you hear me?"

"Mmm-hmm." she nodded lightly. Her eyes fluttered open, her long lashes extenuating the move. She struggled to keep her eyes open against the bright white light, but won out the battle.

"Oh. Calleigh." he brought his forehead down to hers. She smiled lightly as he squeezed her hand. She wiggled it free and brought it up to nape of his neck. She stroked his soft red hair while smiling while he kept his forehead on hers. After a moment, he brought himself back.

"Should I call the doctor now?" he reached for the 'call button' but was stopped by a small pale hand on his.

"Wait." she mouthed.

He sat back down over come with joy. He smiled tiredly from ear to ear.

"How are you handsome?" she asked, as if nothing had happened.

"Worried sick." he whispered.

"Aww." she chuckled lightly, then stopped and inhaled sharply with a jolt of pain.

"Sweetheart..." He said firmly, standing suddenly.

"I'm fine." she gritted her teeth.

"Lie as still as you can." he comforted.

"It's okay." she said lightly. He sat back down, unconvinced.

She turned her head on her white puffy, hospital pillow to face him. He slowly brought his eyes up from the linoleum to rest on hers.

"The last thing ..." she gulped in slight pain, "The last thing I want you to do is leave me."

"I won't leave you here ..." Horatio leaned forward aghast.

"I mean." she started, "I don't want you to protect me. I'm a big girl, I can protect myself."

He realized what she meant. He closed his eyes hard, cocking his head to once side.

"Handsome." she sighed and brought the back of her hand against his cheek. "I'm your bullet girl. I'm **yours**. I love you. And no matter how far you push me, I'll love you all the same."

He looked down into her beautiful blue pools of ice. Her eyes shined, and her lips smiled softly. The way she simply looked at him caused him to melt. He never knew she could do that so easily. He loved how she could command his attention with a simple bat of her luscious lashes. He loved how, even in even as much pain as she evidently was; she petted his cheek soothingly. She was so selfless.

He brought his hands to cup her face. Her smile widened into a 100 mega-watt smile he thought was impossible to come from a hospital patient. She was gentle. But she could handle a gun better than any man she knew. When you put that cold metal in her hands, she was in control; and everyone else around her was at her mercy.

He stroked her jaw bone. She was so beautiful. Her skin glowed, even in times of pain and sorrow. Her cheeks were tan and her eyes so loving. Her lips were smooth and pink, framing her mega-watt smile made up of perfectly straight pearly-whites. Her hands, he noted, were small but fingers long. He noted her thin wrists and wider hips that added to her bottle shape including her perfectly small waist. Her shoulders were narrow, but commanding. Her neck long and elegant. Her body fit perfectly in his. She was beautiful, not only on the outside, but her inner beauty won out over all.

Her hands cupped his face; he grabbed her wrists and let her hands stay where they were. They were so soft, after all.

Her eyes were the window to her caring heart. Her caring heart was as powerful and large as her masterful mind. She was perfect in everyway. He knew that. And it killed him to be falling in love with her.

"Marisol..."he whispered. He looked down, averted his eyes away from Calleigh.

"Marisol would want you to be happy." Erick entered the room for the first time.

"Erick!" Calleigh smiled cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Hey honey. We caught him." he smiled and patted her arm.

"Thanks." she muttered quietly.

He turned to walk away, but motioned Horatio to follow.

"I'll be right back sweetheart." he told Calleigh. She nodded and rested her eyes.

"Yes?" Horatio questioned.

"I know you loved my sister. And look, I miss her too. But what you've got in there..." Erick motioned to Calleigh's hospital room, "She loves you man. We all know it. She has for years. And yes, I'm a little upset you can get over my sister that quickly..." he paused; "But you deserve her. Marisol would want you to be happy. This is your chance."

"Delko, you're an amazing young man." Horatio brought Erick into a hug so tight that Erick had trouble breathing, but returned the favor. "You go get her man."

"I will ..." Horatio whispered with a smile. He turned on his heel and quietly entered the glossy-white medical room.

"Honey."

"Horatio?" Calleigh asked, exhausted.

"Sweetheart, you need to sleep." He smiled, comforting her with his easy voice.

"So do you." she added coyly. He put his hand on her forearm.

"Sweetheart ..."

"Mmm-hmm." she was beginning to feel quite tired.

"I ... "he began. Her eyes fell shut.

"I'm still awake ..." she yawned. "Just hurry, before I conk-out." she smiled.

"I'm never, ever, going to let anything happen to you again. I promise." His eyes began to water. "I love you. You're **my **bullet girl. No one is** ever **going to touch my bullet girl, but me." He tightened his fingers around her thin arm. "You're mine." he finalized. Her eyes reopened

"Am I ever... "She whispered bashfully.

He leaned down towards her slowly. His left hand came up to cup her cheek. She put her hand over his and pulled his palm in front of her lips. Softly, she made a trail of butterfly-kisses on his palm; before allowing him to bring his mouth down on hers.

The kiss started softly, her eyes fluttering shut. He put his hand behind her head and gently leaned her head back, gaining control of the kiss; in order to deepen it. Her injuries told her to hold back, but her heart took over. With the little adrenaline she had left, she fired the kiss with a passion. Her heart made a connection with his and received the message; she allowed her lips to slip open, allowing him to deepen the kiss slightly more: then air became a necessity. He pulled back. Her eyes opened slowly and narrowed, searching for any regret in his beautiful eyes. She found none.

"Get some sleep." His voice rasped. He smiled, and she closed her eyes...doing as she was told. He sat down on the uncomfortable chair, and held her hand tightly, kissing her knuckles before allowing her to ease off into a slumber with a smile.

**END **


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